Inking mechanism for use in printing machines



May 5 M36. T. J. MlLLS ET AL.

INKING' MECHANISM FOR USE IN PRINTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 12, 1934 2 SheetsSheet l W 9 1936, T. J. MHLLS ET AL 2,3,,435

I NKING MECHANISM FOR USE IN PRINTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 12, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BMVENTQRSO Patented May 5, 1936 INKING MECHANISM FOR USE IN PRINTING MACHINES Thoma-s Joseph Mills, Cecil George Quick, and

Donald Arthur Ball, London, England, assignors, by mesne assignments, to R. Hoe & 00.,

Inc., New York, N. Y.

York

, a corporation of New Application January 12, 1934, Serial No. 706,366 In Great Britain January 19, 1933 14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in inking mechanism for use in printing machines and is particularly concerned with what is known as the ink pump system in which ink is delivered 5 to an ink distributing system by means of plunger pumps. It is becoming increasingly important to provide a printing machine which can produce widely different classes of product employing inks of widely different viscosities and widely different press speeds. Difi'iculty has however, been experienced when changing over from ink of high viscosity and low press speed to ink of low viscosity and high press speed for it is found that the ink of higher viscosity, which of course, does not fiow with the readiness of ink of the lower viscosity, obstructs the flow of ink of lower viscosity as it tends to accumulate between the supply pipe and the pump plungers and prevents these from being fed with ink at the required higher rate.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement whereby an ink pump mechanism can be caused efficiently to pump inks of different viscosities and'at different press speeds.

According to the present invention there are provided means for advancing the ink after delivery by the supply pipe so as to ensure that ink is prevented from accumulating and is fed to the pump plungers at the required rate.

The invention is illustrated in one form of construction in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section, and Figure 2 a section on the line 2 of Figure 1 with 5 certain parts omitted.

I indicates a casing or pump box having therein plunger pumps indicated diagrammatically at 2, the casing having a passage 3 communicating with the inlet to the pumps the outlets of which communicate with ports 4 in a pump rail 4 and placed in communication with distributing ducts, distributing the ink to a distribution drum. The casing is provided with an inlet pipe 5 which receives its supply of ink from a storage receptacle and is provided with radial ports 6 arranged to be opened and closed in dependence on the level of ink in the casing by a sleeve I having ports 8 and fast with an arm 9 carrying a float 9. The mechanism so far described is that commonly employed in the now well known ink pump system of ink feed and need not therefore be further described.

In accordance with the invention the ink supplied to the casing from the supply pipe is posi- 55 tively advanced to the passage 3. This is effected in the arrangement shown by providing a plate In which is mounted on a hinge pin II carried by one end of a rod I2; the plate has abutments I3 arranged to engage an abutment I4 on the rod so that the pivotal movement of the plate is limited in both directions, the plate being in one limited position at an angle approaching (as shown in Figure 1) 90 to the axis of the rod and in the other limited position more or less parallel with the rod. The rod I2 passes through a gland I in the end wall of the casing and its outer end is in connection with mechanism whereby the rod can be reciprocated. This mechanism comprises a lever I6 which is pivotally mounted on a stud I! carried by a fixed bracket I8: one end of the lever is provided with a slot I9 which receives a pin 20 mounted in an eye member 2! secured to the rod I2: the pin 20 is extended into a slot 22 in a guide bracket 23 secured to the end wall of the casing I, that part of the rod which extends into the slot 22 being provided with flattened surfaces which co-operate with the walls of the slot 22. The other end of the lever I6 is provided with a stud 24 on which is mounted a roller 25 extending into a circumferential recess formed in a collar member 26 fast with a shaft 21 arranged to be reciprocated in any desired manner. This shaft is conveniently the shaft of one of the vibratory ink roll-,

ers usually employed in connection with the ink distribution drum previously referred to.

As it is customary to arrange for the ink rail 4 to be moved towards and away from the distribution drum, and as the rod I2 is carried by this movable rail while the lever I6 is carried by a fixed bracket I8, the pin 20 is extended at 28 beyond the lever so as to enable the necessary relative movement to take place between the rod I2 and lever I6 without causing disconnection between them.

It will be seen that when the rod moves to the right as seen in Figure 1, the plate II] is caused, by the reaction of ink between the plate and the passage 3 to lie in the position shown in this figure and thus by reason of the movement of the rod, the plate positively displaces ink to the passage 3; when the direction of movement of the rod I2 is reversed, the plate I0 is caused by ink reaction, to move in an anti-clockwise direction up to the limit of its movement, the plate III now being parallel with the rod I2 so as to pass freely through the ink in the casing and back to its original position in readiness for the next stroke.

It will be apparent that by reciprocating the rod I2 by movement derived from some driven part of the machine, the rate of reciprocation of the rod I2 depends upon the speed of the machine and thus the rate at which ink is displaced is a function of the speed of the machine.

In an arrangement according to the invention the change over from ink of high viscosity to low viscosity and change in the rate of feed of ink to the plungers can be effected without difliculty since by the provision of the positive feeding device (i. e. the plate ill) the ink of high viscosity is positively fed to the pumps, and therefore cleared from the casing or pump box I, instead of forming an obstruction to the proper feed of ink of lower viscosity.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. In an ink feeding system for a printing machine, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, a pumping system located within and adapted for forcing ink from the receptacle, and means arranged within the said receptacle and operating to advance ink in the receptacle to the pumping system.

2'. In an ink feeding system for a printing machine, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, a pumping system located within and adapted for forcing ink from the receptacle and an impeller device serving to advance ink in the receptacle to the pumping system.

3. In an ink feeding system for a printing machine, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, a pumping system for forcing ink from the receptacle, and means operating to advance ink in the receptacle to the pumping system the said means comprising a plate, means for reciprocating the plate in the receptacle and towards and away from the pumping system, and means mounting the plate so that when moving towards the system it presents a greater area to the ink than when moving away from the system.

4. In an ink feeding system'f'or a printing machine, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, a pumping system for forcing ink from the receptacle, and means operating to advance ink in the receptacle to the pumping system, the said means comprising a plate, a rod extending into the receptacle, means pivotally mounting the plate on the rod, means for limiting the pivotal movement of the rod in both directions, the plate in one limiting position presenting to the ink a greater effective area than in the other limiting position, and means for reciprocating the rod.

5. In an ink feeding system for a printing machine, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, a pumping system located within and adapted for forcing ink from the receptacle, an impeller device which advances ink in the receptacle to the pumping system, said device being arranged within the said receptacle, and means operating the impeller device at a rate dependent on the speed of operation of the printing machine.

6. In an ink feeding system for a printing machine, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, a pumping system for forcing ink from the receptacle, and means operating to advance ink in the receptacle to the pumping system, the said means comprising a plate, means for reciprocating the plate in the receptacle and towards and away from the pumping system, and means mounting the plate so that when moving towards the system it presents a greater area to the ink than when moving away from the system, the said reciprocating means being operated at a rate dependent on the speed of operation of the printing machine.

'7. In an ink feeding system for a printing machine, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, a distribution drum, a roller co-operating with the drum, means for reciprocating the roller, a pumping system for forcing ink from the receptacle to the drum, a reciprocable impeller device which advances ink in the receptacle to the pumping system, and connections between the roller and the impeller device whereby this latter is reciprocated.

8. In an ink feeding system for a printing machine, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, a distribution drum, a roller co-operating with the drum, means for reciprocating the roller, a pumping system for forcing ink from the receptacle to the drum, a

plate located in the receptacle, a rod, means pivotally mounting the plate on the rod, means for limiting the pivotal movement of the rod in both directions, the plate in one limiting position presenting to the ink a greater effective area 10. In an ink feeding mechanism for printing machines, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, an ink distribution means, means arranged within and adapted for conveying ink from the receptacle to the distribution means, and other means for advancing ink in the receptacle to the said conveying means.

11. In an ink feeding mechanism for printing machines, a receptacle for ink, a conduit for supplying ink to the receptacle, an ink distribution means, means arranged within and adapted for conveying ink from the receptacle to the distribution means, means located within and adapted for advancing ink in the receptacle to the said conveying means, and means for operating the said advancing means at a rate dependent on the rate of operation of the printing machine.

12. An arrangement as specified in claim 4 wherein the rod is provided with a pin, a lever, said lever being connected to the rod by the pin, a bracket, a slot formed in said bracket and adapted to receive said pin, and means for oscillating the lever to reciprocate the rod.

13. In an arrangement as specified in claim 8, a bracket, a guide slot formed in said bracket, a pin extending into said guide slot, and a lever, said lever being connected to the rod by the pin and having an operative connection with the roller.

14. In an inking mechanism for a printing machine, a receptacle adapted to hold ink, a pumping system located within said receptacle and adapted to force ink through an outlet port, and operating means arranged also Within said receptacle to propel ink to the pumping system.

THOMAS JOSEPH MILLS. CECIL GEORGE QUICK. DONALD ARTHUR BALL. 

